Fierce B00K 1
by x2010mcj
Summary: 4 Sisters forced into a world of majik, fabled creatures, epic battles, love and power. Unknowingly part of an ancient bloodline of who are called Navitas these sisters are charged with protecting the source of all life essence known as the chalice. Learning of this, their new found abilities and of the world they are newly submerged in, they will be tested. This is their story...


49

**FEIRCE- Book 1**

Prologue

The Victorian Manor was beautiful. Like the old fashioned house you see on the street corner or at the end of the lane, it mystifies children and is attributed fables of wonder. The magnificence of this dwelling can be seen in its beauty as well as its discrepancy. Belonging to a time of elegance and stature long past and forgotten, the old fashioned house seemed forever misplaced in our world, yet rebelliously remained hidden in the shadows of modernity, a ghost of what it once was. Despite time and the slow decay that was ensued from years of loneliness and neglect the Manor stood tall. It possessed an enchanting and mysterious quality so embedded within its core, one could look beyond the cracked paint and heavily vined walls and know underneath there was something special. In contrast to the bright modern homes that completed the suburban neighborhood, the Manor had a darkly tinted peaked roof and vintage curtained windows that had been hung so long they no doubt by now were a permanent extension. The charm of the slated walls that had been once a fresh burgundy red, so vibrant and warm now faded under the suns scrutiny and was entombed beneath endless vines. The quaint angular structure possessed a commanding presence that not only captured your gaze but commanded you to look upon it with a quiet admiration. It was such a place that by merely touching its cold hard walls you could feel it still pulsating with life. Of memories long ago but more importantly memories not forgotten by it, rather kept alive within. Despite the mystifying intrigue one may feel when observing such a house, it had remained vacant for many years with only the blank canvas of the walls and few boxes of belongings abandoned to keep it company…until now.

Chapter One

Dragging the cardboard boxes across the dark oak floors, while very skillfully cursing about the weight and quantity of mixed junk within, Alea, frustrated beyond reason due to her quick temper, abruptly stops dragging the boxes and hurls herself to the floor in complete and utter defeat. "I give up, I give in, screw the boxes I can live in what I'm wearing." Glancing up at her practical sister Raelin, with her one neatly packed duffle bag that was ever so gracefully going across the floor, Alea sent out a glare so powerful if it were a wave it would have knocked Rae on her butt. Having reached her breaking point of frustration after moving boxes all day, tearing her favorite pair of jeans, stubbing her toe, smashing her finger between furniture as well as the cold dinner to come due to lack of proper electricity, Alea was quickly realizing that the Manor was not going to bring anything different to her already disappointing life. Yet as usual, her perfect sister even after a whole day of moving, still had the perfectly straightened red hair, cashmere sweater that never caught on anything and not a single stain on her jeans. Raelin looked like the owner of the Manor while Alea looked like the mover. That had always been the difference between them, like social class distinction Rae was nobility while Alea was peasantry. It was so apparent that one belonged to a world of sophistication and dinner parties while the other belonged on the back of a Harley in all leather wearing a shirt that screamed reckless.

The sudden silence was the first indicator to Raelin that her sister had occupied herself with something else to fret about since it was near impossible for Alea to be quiet under any circumstances. Turning around to see exactly what her troublesome little sister had found so interesting, she saw what was the tale end of a glare from her sisters dark brown eyes. Which, if it were possible would be shooting fire lit darts due to the extreme agitation present within them. Alea's killer gaze was framed by her dark brown hair plastered across her sweaty face which she was failing to blow out of the way, while huffing due to her recent exertions. The messiness of her sisters' hair paired with the stained tee shirt, ripped jeans and fluency of curses amused Rae, as Aleas temper always had.

"WHAT?!" Alea exclaimed, unfolding her arms and throwing them into the air to show her true frustration at her sisters smirking stare, knowing full well how amusing Rae was finding this display of defeat.

Giggling, Rae could not help but burst into laughter at the sight before her. As one can safely assume this did not improve Aleas temper in the slightest. In direct retaliation to her sister's fit of giggles, Alea aggressively pulls her hair away from her face so her invisible darts from her all powerful glare could be better aimed. However, before she was able to open her mouth with a snarky remark towards Rae, there was an extremely loud bump from the ceiling that sounded like something falling from a very high height. Paired with the poorly lit manor and extreme wind, which consequently was causing all sorts of noises from creaks to screeches, both girls jumped.

Quickly realizing that it was only the two of them living there until Roxy and Jazzy moved in Wednesday, Alea realized that one of them therefore had to be brave enough to see what caused it. Attempting to quiet her nerves, Alea rationalized the situation by telling herself they had to become accustomed to the creaks and cranks of an old house at night regardless of who was home or not. However, no amount of rational thinking could give Alea the courage she needed to take charge and go upstairs, so resuming her initial thought she shouted "Not me!"

"Very mature Lea.. just for that YOU should be the one to go check" pointing up the stairs to the ominous room neither sister wanted to enter.

Attempting for a second time to dodge, Alea pleaded "Rock, Paper, Scissors Rae?"

Throwing her hands up in the air Rae sighed exasperated "Leeeaa"

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS RAE!" Alea exclaimed while jumping up and down and pulling Rae's cashmere sweater like a toddler attempting to get attention.

"Fine! Lea"

In unison the girls faced each other and started chanting "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!" while concealing their choice of weaponry behind their backs the anticipation for the reveal built, along with identifying who would be the sucker to check upstairs.

Unfortunately for Lea, her scissors lost to Rae's rock. Opening her mouth and about to jump up and down while saying two out of three Rae cut her off "GO!" while simultaneously putting her foot down.

Looking slowly up the curved wooden staircase that Lea now had to conquer due to her recent defeat, she pitifully turned her woeful eyes to her sister hoping it would affect her enough with guilt to go with her. (I think it important to note here so you as the reader can better understand the dynamics of these particular sisters relationship, that as children this same "look" that Alea was applying to Rae was what caused Rae to be perpetrated in crime with her all through their childhood. To which both were inevitably caught by their mother and then forced to pay for the crime through either dishes or lack of sweets. Despite this, every time Lea gave Rae that "look" it worked like a charm, and yet again she would aid her sister in another scheming plot of trouble. As adults in their early twenties though so much had changed throughout their life the "look" and its effect on Rae was not one of them.) So as a result, after feeling defeat with a sigh Rae answered "Let's go, BUT you owe me, and while your at it grab flashlights Lea, we wont be able to see much otherwise, the electric line is faulty."

Gripping each others arm and interlocking elbows they slowly took the first step up the wooden staircase and truth be told it was the longest step either of them had ever taken. Continuing up the creaking stairs, staying close to the banister while making sure neither sister was more forward nor behind than the other, they finally reached the landing to the hallway of bedrooms. Attempting to give it one last try at escaping the duty of checking, Lea whispered, "You know, being you ARE in fact the eldest, isn't it encoded in your DNA to go first anyway and protect younger siblings such as me, so REALLY me going in with you would only be a distraction and…" Catching Rae's eyes and the pure irritation emanating from them, Lea abruptly stopped talking.

"You know Lea, you would think that being as you never listen to me anyway, and are the more stubborn and temperamental of the both of us not to mention the most bull-headed, YOU should take over the eldest position and responsibilities, because as you tell me oh so many times I'm a walk on mat and need more pizazz, so Lea BE MY GUEST go show that room some pizazz." Pointing her flashlight down the hall as if in demonstration of her point.

Taking the time to glare at Rae first, Lea looked down the hallway and realized that every door was closed except the one at the very end that leads to the attic, squeezing Rae's hand a little harder;

"Did you want to check every room together or split up miss snippy?"

Rae looking down her nose at Lea due to the snide remark, "It has to be in the attic that something fell, the other doors are locked with nothing in them until we pick up the keys tomorrow, so we can go together". Reaching for the knob of the door closest to her, Lea turned it hoping to prove her sister wrong but the knob didn't budge.

Rae smirked, "Told you"

Putting her hands on her hips Lea snapped "Ok well since you know everything about this house already you go check the attic I'll go back downstairs".

Grabbing Lea's arm before she tried turning around to bail, Rae whispered in her most authoritative tone, "Don't even think about it if one of us is going its you, you lost fair and square"

"yea, yea I get it lets just get this over with".

Pulling Rae's hand while tip-toeing down the faded carpeted hallway past two sets of closed mahogany doors the girls finally reached the end where the door to the attic was open. Lea looked in and on a deep sigh "Great another staircase"

"Lea you know that the Manor is a three story house, how else would you propose we get to the next level? Fly?"

"No, given the choice I was hoping for an escalator smart ass"

"Oh now you wanna be tough guy with smart remarks, two seconds ago it was Rae please oh please come with me"

"Correction! I didn't say anything I jus looked at you and you offered!"

Rae glared, "Now Im regretting offering"

"Well, its too late now we are almost at the top, we might as well just look".

The girls held their breaths as they took the final steps up into the attic, briskly shining their flashlights all around looking for a switch. Lea finally found it against the back wall and flicking the switch prayed the light was in working order then abruptly remembered there was no electricity yet. This newly remembered revelation was the last straw for Lea and in usual Lea fashion caused her to commence in her undeniable professional skills in ranting.

"Great, just great, we paid an obscene amount of money for this house and not only do we have no electricity yet because the dimwits at the electrical company misread our date of activation! We cant even get into our bedrooms because we were late driving here and missed picking up those keys by five minutes at the office so now we have to sleep in the living room on the floor! BUT NO it gets better this manor is also apparently haunted that's just great! This attic is SUCH a mess I cant even find what MIGHT have fallen let alone what caused it AND to boot we signed all the paperwork and deeds so we cant even back out now!"

"O MY GOD LEA! Would you stop being so melodramatic for crying out loud, you just said yourself this house is old, it hasn't had an owner in years so things are bound to not go as smoothly which we knew about ALREADY and you just said this attic is a mess so obviously stuff could fall or shift depending on weight distributions AND its windy tonight so the house, being its old, is GOING to creak and make noise, no need to be such a wuss! I SWEAR if people saw this side of you they would understand why I laugh when I hear you being described as intimidating."

"LOOK Rae, (pointing her finger at her sister as if to make an accusation) YOU may not have seen poltergeist but I sure as hell did and I REFUSE to live in a house that…"

Just then, the wind outside picked up and the one window in the attic creaked a long achy sigh that sounded as if the house was moaning. Lea having jumped towards Rae, dropped her flashlight and had a death grip on her sister while simultaneously trying to look around for anything suspicious. The wind finally died down after a few seconds that felt like hours with its end Rae broke the deafening silence,

"Lets just call it a night and sleep in the Family room we have sleeping bags so it should be fine, alright?"

"Rae, if you seriously think I'm getting ANY sleep tonight you clearly are off a few monkeys short of a barrel."

"Well fine then don't sleep, but we clearly have nothing to worry about, there is no one in the attic we know the bedrooms are locked until we pick up the keys and we have been downstairs on the first floor all day moving our boxes and bags so we are fine. Maybe you should just have a cup of tea and try to relax we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Remember we have to have our things completely set up before Roxy and Jazzy get here, we promised." Quickly pointing her finger back and forth between her sister and herself to emphasize the "we".

"No, YOU promised, I however have a lot more things than you so Ill have my stuff sorted when it suits me"

"See look at you now, if your well enough to argue again and be stubborn then your well enough to sleep".

Sticking her tongue out at her sister due to a lack of a witty response Lea started walking down to the second floor without waiting for her. Calling behind her,

"Hey, Rae did you pack your IHome? Im thinking if we play some Sarah McLaughlin or jewel ill calm down enough to be comfortable and sleep"…upon hearing silence Lea called out, …"Rae? ….Raaaaeeee?"

Turning around at the absence of a response Lea noticed that her sister did not follow her down the stairs from the attic. Muttering under her breath Lea went back up the steps stomping her slippered feet "Lady?!" "HELLLOOOO?" reaching the top she saw Rae standing over something that had caught her fascination.

Glittering in the moonlight that was streaming in through the one diamond shaped window in the attic, Rae was holding up a necklace.

"Rae? What are you looking at?"

As if the spell were broken Rae finally pulled her eyes away from the necklace and looked up at Lea.

"When I walked over to grab your flashlight from the floor mine shone on a box that literally looked like it glowed, so I went over to look in it and found this necklace. Want to test your skills and see what you can make of it miss "I got skills"?"

Playfully making a face at her sister , "Ha Ha very funny, let me see"

Being cautious of where she stepped Lea walked over to Rae and grabbed her flashlight, then the necklace. Shining the light on it she peered closely and for a few minutes simply studied it.

"Ok well, it's an emerald stone, its in a teardrop shape, whether its real or not Ill have to wait and see this light isn't very good and even though it has the weight to be a real jewel I need better equipment to tell. The gold encasing around the emerald has next to no markings suggesting if it was worn previously it was not worn a lot and in addition well kept or it is a poor quality of gold and therefore more durable. The length of the chain is long probably about twenty to twenty-one inches, all in all not a bad find but I would most definitely place this in the costume jewelry category making its worth roughly forty to fifty dollars, however if it's a real stone then obviously the price escalates, (passing it back to Rae's open hand) how was that?... I pass?",

Giving her little sister a pensive look as if trying to understand her in a way she had never been able too, "You know Lea, you really should think twice about going back to the museum, I know you said you wanted to start fresh but I can tell you loved your job."

Clasping her hands together and sensing this conversation was sailing towards unchartered territory Lea sighed, "Tell you what, how about instead of discussing that, the next time I come across anything I cant understand for the life of me that needs analysis or translation, ill test you and see if you can help me, then we can just call it even"

Tossing her fiery red hair behind her shoulder while sweetly smiling at Lea "Oh, that would be a full time job no thank you"

As Lea's mouth gaped open at the playful insult that Rae had hurled at her, the House creaked again as another gust of wind assaulted its exterior. In unison the girls ran down the stairs to the second floor and continued down to the first where they finally stopped running and for no reason at all burst out laughing hysterically. When the giggles finally subsided Lea sighed,

"That's good, our first night in our new house and we cant even be in the attic for longer than five seconds without being terrified enough to run. Roxy would be ashamed of us right now if she saw us."

While simultaneously changing into pajamas and scrounging through boxes to find a toothbrush Rae looked up at Lea,

"Are you kidding?, if Rox were here she would have ran UP the stairs looking for what happened with a bat or something, probably swinging as she went. It's amazing she hasn't been in prison yet the amount of fights she has been in. (snapping her fingers with the renewal of a memory) Remember in pre-school when she punched Joseph for taking your red wagon? I swear that's when her aggressiveness started"

Shaking her head Lea couldn't remember the boy or wagon but couldn't help but giggle at the scene it presented.

Rae continued 'Well I knew from then on Rox would be a fighter, the playground was definitely safer and to her credit though she may not always start the fight she sure as hell finishes them."

Giggling again while thinking of their cousin, the weariness and exhaustion of the day hit the girls as they finally set up their sleeping bags in the middle of the living room surrounded by boxes and luggage. Just as Lea was snuggling into her sleeping bag surrounded by pillows she noticed her sister was struggling with something and reluctantly got out of her bag to help Rae.

"What is it your trying to do and failing at?"

Staring down at the necklace with a furrowed look of concentration, her sisters snipe completely lost on her, Rae replied "I'm trying to put the necklace on but the clasp will not open, it's like its rusted over or something"

Lea giggling "Here, give me that before you break it and the worth decreases more, I'll put it on you, sit still"

As Lea attempted to open the clasp, it seemed to fall open as if the necklace itself were impatient to be worn by someone. Slipping it around Rae's neck and fastening it, Lea took a step back to examine her work and see how the necklace looked on her sister. Just then for an instant and no more than an instant the emerald teardrop glowed a most vibrant and deep green that Lea had never seen an equal too. Blinking, then waiting a minute to see if it would glow again concluded it was just her eyes playing tricks from exhaustion.

"It looks like it was made for you Rae, the green in the emerald really brings out your eyes and is a stunning contrast to the redness of your hair, (clasping her hands together) I approve! (Then smiling mischievously ) And I will be borrowing."

Rae being the shy one in the family though use to compliments since she was beautiful in her own way never found the proper way to accept them. So she merely went a shade of light pink and smiled, which was her interpretation of thank you. Instantly recovering from the sisterly bonding moment, and using her best teasing tone possible,

"If that is your way of ASKING if you can borrow it then I SUPPOSE you can on occasion, but do you think I can really keep it?"

Getting comfortable in her sleeping bag again Lea turned to her sister

"You should keep it Rae, if no one has come to claim it at this point I doubt they ever will, consider it a thank you present from the Manor for convincing us to buy the place"

"I guess that's true" Rae whispered. Deciding to finally go to sleep she nodded off with the same glow any girl receives after acquiring a new present, and slept holding the emerald in the palm of her hand not knowing the change it was instilling within her while she slept.

Chapter Two

As the sun poured through the colorful stained glass bay windows, an assortment of vibrant light covered the family room, giving a sense of warmth that much of the Manor still lacked. Familiar sounds of birds and children bustling down the street to get to school could be heard. Like any fall morning the leaves were swirling about changing colors in the sunlight and finally falling to the depths of the ground in their attempt to fly. With the natural light of day, the pure beauty of the Manor could be showcased through every tapestry and carving. It was a typical, beautiful Monday morning.

…Rae was running. From what she did not know, but the darkness surrounding her only spurred her on while she ran through the trees searching for an escape. Her body was use to running. It had been a fact that despite all the gifts and abilities life had handed Rae she loved her skills to run the best. The skill had helped her escape some of her most painful memories. Since childhood Rae had learned if you keep running you will eventually lose sight of what caused you to run in the first place. Being outside among the trees she had always found her strength when she thought herself too weak. Their unbelievable strength to stand ground through winds and storms without breaking, made her feel safe when surrounded by them. As if old friends Rae would daily run through woods and no one knew this about her but as she took breaks from her run she would stop to put her hand to their streaked crackling bark and speak to them about what was bothering her. A few times she caught herself attempting to listen for a response and realized she might need to seek mental help but still continued to speak to them on her runs regardless, they had been one of the very few constants in her life. Growing up she had been more interested in climbing and exploring the unknown wild of the backyard than barbies and tea parties. Breathing in the air as she ran through this new surrounding she thought of how her strength and happiness had always emanated from when she was completely immersed in the woods and her speed instantly increased. Rae kept going and instead of focusing on the temptation of looking back for what was chasing her, what she feared, she focused on the pure joy and excitement she felt in running. Engulfed in the feeling her spirit soared. Letting go of her fear entirely and focusing on her strength she felt as if she had finally broken a barrier and was about to embark on something so much greater than simply running. Just as she was about to discover what she had unlocked within herself, the world around her abruptly disappeared in chaos and was replaced with a blasting of music and her sisters off key singing...

Opening her eyes reluctantly, Rae took a few seconds to take in her new surroundings. The wooden ceiling with its elegant beams and intricate decorative carvings looked down at her. The streaming light looked as if it were playing along the beams intimately wrapping around them. In the center where the beams intersected was a small hanging chandelier. The crystal embedded in the chandelier acted as a catalyst for the light, reflecting it around the room as if it was attempting to be a disco ball. Slowly Rae realized she was back in the Manor and was merely dreaming despite how real the woods had felt. Though now that her sisters voice was crystal clear Rae wished she could go back just to avoid the threat to her ears. Feeling slightly agitated at the typical rude awakening, Rae wiggled out of her sleeping bag just enough to pick up Lea's pillow and hurl it at her clear across the room. The pillow failing at its purpose, fell just short of Lea's back however the sound of the 'thud' she did not miss. Turning around from her unpacking, Lea quizzically looked at her sister with an innocent face while Rae glared at her in return,

"Don't give me that face Lea, what on earth are you doing?!, I don't know if you noticed but I was still sleeping before you rudely turned on the radio and woke me up!"

"Geez your grumpy this morning, its already almost nine Rae we have to get up and get ahead on unpacking. If I remember correctly you want it all done before the duo arrive not me, so (clapping her hands) up up" Standing erect and stretching her back from a hour of hovering over boxes, attempting to unload all her things Lea sighed in pleasure as her back cracked. Untying her hair from the messy bun that always failed at keeping her mass of mess contained she twirled the mane back into yet another bun knowing the exercise would be repeated within the next fifteen minutes. Noticing her sister was still glaring at her "Something else you want to say Rae?"

"YES!, clearly you don't remember saying you're the one with an obscene amount of junk NOT me therefore you should be up before me to get ahead, and leave me sleeping, which FYI (pointing at the radio as if it committed murder) does not involve the radio on full blast."

At this snarky comment, Lea started to grin at Rae, "Wow, grumpy and snippy, must have been one hell of a dream, I hope he had a six- pack and cute butt to boot".

Folding her arms in a cross gesture Rae narrowed her eyes clearly insulted,

"Not that its any of your business Lea but believe it or not it is possible to have interesting dreams that do not involve sex." As Lea brushed her dusty hands on her jeans in anticipation of unpacking more boxes she muttered,

"Yes well if I went months without getting any and forgot what sex was, I guess I would find anything interesting too." Smirking at Rae, Lea knew she was being rude but couldn't help the retort since Rae had walked right into it.

"Well EXCUSE me for having standards" Rae snapped back. The shocked look on Lea's face for being beaten at an argument was all Rae needed to brighten her morning. Taking the silence as her trophy, Rae decided to sing-a-long with the radio after all. Getting up Rae left the family room in hopes she could manage some warm water for a shower since they should have electricity by now.

Once the shock wore off, Lea decided the only reason Rae won the argument was due to the lack of food in her system so therefore her brain could not as usual produce a winning comment. Moving to the kitchen, which was the only room that resembled a lived in habitat, since Rae insisted upon setting it up first, Lea pulled out a carton of eggs, a slab of bacon and a frying pan. Placing the pan on the white vintage stove, Lea was reminded of how she always liked watching the coils burn bright red, as a child she thought it was the stoves magical way of letting you know it was ready to cook your food. Spraying the pink pan and waiting for it to heat up, Lea looked around at her new golden yellow kitchen. The tiled cream floor was a stunning contrast to the warm reddish brown cabinets. The island in the middle with its pearled counter top tied the room together. The estranged counter along the back wall by the open entrance allowed room for keys, the house phone and knickknacks. Opening off to the left side was a sitting area with a wooden table and a few chairs framed by three bay windows, which were streaming in morning light. The hanging cooking mittens and woven baskets for fruit were personal touches along with the colored dishtowels hanging on the oven bar. The vase of flowers on the table were of course Leas favorite, purple hydrangeas, smiling when she realized Rae must have gotten them yesterday. Lea felt content to cook here, she knew it wouldn't take long to think of the Manor as home if each room represented them as well as this one. Cracking her eggs into the pan, and searching for a spatula, Lea felt for the first time she might actually enjoy cooking in this kitchen and started to hum to herself again as her favorite song burst from the radio.

Smelling the unmistakable scent of bacon, Rae walked a little faster through the family room and dining room to the kitchen hoping her sister had some mercy for her empty stomach and made extra. Hearing Lea in the kitchen was something Rae would never get use too. Lea was known to burn water. How she lived in college and somehow made food that was eatable, Rae would always view as a great mystery. However her bacon was always the only thing Lea was good at cooking. Seeing her sister so happy, singing to the radio and doing her wiggle dance while simultaneously flipping bacon was a sight Rae thought she would never see again. It instantly warmed her heart and she knew that this house would be a fresh start and somehow they would find their way back to their carefree and happy life or what was left of it.

Sensing that Rae was behind her watching, Lea decided to do what she did best and go for the dramatic. Singing even louder and holding her note in the wrong key for too long she couldn't help but giggle as her sister grabbed the nearest dishtowel to cover her ears and then promptly throw it at her.

"I love you and I think you have a lot of admirable qualities and abilities sis but consider singing not one of them and let it go. Please." Turning to the counter where the source of the problem was Rae turned the radio down.

Waving her spatula Lea retorted, "O come on, art is open to different interpretations what you think is horrible I think of as a serenade."

Nodding in agreement with Lea,"Yea, if your dead and cant hear it."

Pretending to be hurt and making a shocked face Lea gasped

"Im offended." While dramatically placing the back of the spatula over her forehead to demonstrate her obvious heart stricken pain.

"No your not Lea." Shaking her head at her sister while laughing, Rae began grabbing plates from the cupboard while Lea leaned away to avoid the splattering oil.

"And HOW would you know?" taking the spatula and pointing it at Rae's nose.

"Because it takes a lot to offend you when you're in this good a mood." Using her hands to refer to Lea's whole way of being.

Giving a short nod Lea replied "Good point…bacon?"

"Yes please, im starving, but hold the eggs ill put it in a sandwich."

As Lea dished the bacon out of her frying pan and onto a communal plate for them to share Rae went over to the cabinet and grabbed the peanut-butter for her sandwich along with a couple slices of bread from the bread basket. Making her sandwich, Rae reflected on her dream. It felt so real that she could hardly believe where she was when she eventually woke up this morning. She could still visualize the trees in their pine green hue engulfed in their own bristles and shadow, she could still smell the rich soil and fresh air that one rarely could experience and appreciate. It was the best run she had had in a while even though technically she never even moved. Oddly enough though she could remember all these details, the one detail that held the most importance in regards to what she was running from escaped her mind completely. She knew she felt scared, no petrified, at the idea of whatever it was catching up to her but she never did look back to actually have a look at what it was, or who. She couldn't remember hearing footsteps behind her, though then again she was so overwhelmed listening to the sound of her own heartbeat and the sound of her feet hitting the ground she doubt she would have heard anyway. Then it suddenly hit her, why was she so concerned with it? After all it was only a dream, and the new move and all had frustrated and caused her stress that she probably did need to run out. She was being ridiculous, after all she was not the superstitious hokey pokey one in the family she would leave that position to her sister with her wild imagination and crazy ideas.

Not sure how to handle the silence that had suddenly seized the room Rae finally focused on making her sandwich not realizing how hungry she actually was and turned towards the table to join Lea. Despite this attempt at a family bonding breakfast Lea had already inhaled her eggs, bacon and toast and currently was getting up to clear away her dishes as Rae was only just sitting down to her meal. "Hungry much, Miss Piggy?" smirking up at Lea while taking a hearty bite of her sandwich.

"No water rat, you just took forever making your sandwich, and you do know there is a dryer in the box by the bathroom right? And you should know after 21 years with me, my food never lasts long and if you take too long neither will yours" while devilishly smiling at her older sister who wasted time using napkins and sitting upright while sporadically dabbing her mouth in between bites Lea had never had problems with eating her own way regardless of if it looked as if she "inhaled it".

"Touch my food and die, Im super hungry this morning" pointing her fork at Lea's smile, the root of all foods demise.

Oddly enough though both sisters enjoyed food as much as the next person their figures though completely different, were not unhealthy. Rae being tall and lean was a complete contrast to Leas short and curvy figure, even their skin was a contrast with Rae's pearl white to Leas caramel skin. Many people even friends and extended family questioned them as blood sisters from the same parents. Even on occasion they questioned their relation themselves but this did not affect their close relationship in the slightest. The smart and quick remarks in addition to constant bickering were typical of the Nymeria sisters. Those who did not know Rae misconstrued her shyness and unseen kindness as cold and arrogant much like a privileged princess who was above it all. While those who did not know Lea thought her quick uncontrollable temper as dangerous and misconstrued her confidence and strong opinions as bitchiness. Though Rae seemed to be laid back she was organized to a fault and Lea could swear sometimes she lived on a schedule for the fun of it. While Lea based most of her decisions on instinct she also executed her choices in the spur of the moment, no forethought just action. Rae could not properly respond to a compliment no matter the source while Lea felt odd if a day went by that she did not receive a compliment. While Lea would look at you smiling sweetly and reveal her faults daring you to condemn her, Rae would feel insecure about her faults and would never discuss them because if that discussion took place she would inevitably need to change so she could fix them. Despite their core differences they were a complete set and one could not live without the other because they brought out the best in each other.

The sound of the running water while Lea was doing dishes calmed Rae down while she was attempting to eat her breakfast and forget her dream. Looking out the window her heart stopped at how beautiful outside looked, it was going to be a good day she decided. Finally finished, she gulped her milk and took her dishes to the sink while contemplating what she wanted to unpack first.

Looking up at Rae from the dishes in her hands, "Can you be a doll and turn the radio back on s'il vous plait? I need some jam if I'm going to be cleaning up." Bumping hips into Rae to demonstrate her need for dancing while cleaning.

Giggling at Leas truly unique talent for speaking "Sure, just keep your singing to a minimal please."

As Rae walked out of the kitchen to finish unpacking her things, Lea could have sworn there was something Rae wanted to talk about but for whatever reason decided to not bring it up. Usually this would encourage Lea to bribe her sister into spilling, however for some reason Lea knew that this, whatever it was Rae had to say, was something Rae wanted to ignore and hope it went away. They had endured enough over the last few years that Lea refused to encourage anymore to go wrong in their lives especially now that they were starting again. With this thought in mind Lea finished the dishes and tidied the counters while humming since that seemed like a fair compromise between silence and singing.

Completed with the kitchen clean up, Lea started through the dining room to the hall in attempt to unpack more of her things. Moving the chairs in the dining room further in to the table so she could walk behind them Lea was not observant of the folded rug underneath the chair and consequently tripped when she turned to take a step. Failing to catch herself, Lea hit the wooden floor with a thud while muttering "Stupid freaking carpet!" Going to all fours Lea crawled the rest of the way, too lazy to stand up when the boxes were already on the floor. Once she reached the end of the dining room and turned right to enter the hall Lea noticed a small, discolored panel of wood attached to the stairway in the hall that she had never seen. It looked as if it were a misplaced piece of a puzzle glued to the wooden side of the staircase and doing its best to blend in as a chameleon might. Getting up to take a closer look Lea pressed her hand against the wooden panel expecting it to open, however it did not budge. With Lea's rapid imagination she had already created a whole new world behind it filled with little people and an impending quest. When it didn't open, she was even more disappointed and intrigued with its purpose, concocting other mystical uses for it.

After a span of three minutes Lea found herself bored with the misplaced panel and continued on to the quest of unpacking knowing full well she would find a solution as to how to open the curious door if she simply put her mind to it.

Chapter 3

As the hours went on through the day and more and more boxes were emptied and tossed aside, the girls started to get excited as to how the Manor would look when they finally finished their personal touches. Though like in everything else, Lea and Rae had completely different tastes they felt proud that they could merge them into a harmonious unison that looked both elegant and homely. Standing in the sun room or as Rae insisted on calling it the "Conservatory" which of course Lea rolled her eyes at, the girls were admiring their hard work in decorating so that besides the kitchen, this room too now felt like home. The green plants and warm flowers chosen by Lea were scattered around the room between dark chestnut furniture that Rae had selected and each complimented the other beautifully. The ceiling to floor glass windows offered the sunset as the perfect backdrop to their new room, while the carefully placed books and love seat with beige cushions and matching coffee table provided a warm atmosphere. Clasping hands in pure joy at the sight the sisters felt for the first time like they were home and happy to be home. Just as Lea was about to rest her head on her sisters shoulder, Rae jumped like a cat startled, "Damn it!, we forgot we have to get the keys today!" running over to the phonebook that was placed on the bottom step in the foyer for lack of a better place to put it, Rae flipped hastily through the pages to find the locksmith with whom they had done business.

"That's weird, he's not listed, closing the book to look up at her sister, did he give you a card to contact him on Lea? I didn't get one, I just assumed he would be in the book."

"You mean to tell me, Rae, the girl who never leaves home without "the purse" which can fix any problem, the girl who always calls ahead or is always two steps ahead, the most organized person in the whole world who leaves nothing to chance didn't think to get his card? This is our first first in our new home." Smiling with eyes lighting up like the fourth of July, Lea walked over to join Rae on the bottom step.

"First first? Ok Lea in order to save myself time from trying to comprehend that myself, I'm just going to ask, what's a first first?"

Grasping Rae's hand "Well my sister, a first is like a baby's first steps or first word, and a first first would be like a baby's first action that was its first in life. So this is our first first to occur in our new home."

"And we couldn't have a better first first? This has to be it?"

"Undoubtedly Rae, your never this unorganized its refreshing, I think it's a very worthy first first."

Playfully pushing Lea, Rae couldn't help but giggle a little "You do realize if anyone was listening to this conversation we would sound completely crazy."

"Well what's the fun in normal conversations anyway? They bore me."

"Clearly, but then again you always did get bored too fast, I use to try and convince mom it was because you had a small brain." Laughing at Leas face Rea couldn't help but realize that that was the first time they had made a joke about their mother since she had disappeared. She didn't have the heart to tell Lea they had just created another first just incase Lea wasn't ready for it. Deciding the topic of the illusive locksmith was safer, Rae cleared her throat, "So you up for driving down there to see if he's still open? We promised the girls we would take care of the doors and I dread to think of Roxy in one of her moods, she will break down the door." Bursting out laughing at the scene playing out in her mind Lea had to agree. As it was, Roxy and Jazzy were driving down that night so they could finally commence living together. Grabbing a pair of worn out flats Lea took the keys off the hook by the front door and tossing them to Rae called" We might as well grab a pizza on the way back you know we wont have time or patience to cook when we are all catching up later"

"You and your stomach Lea! Do you ever think with anything else?"

"When I see a guy, sure do!"

"Sooooo didn't wana know that Lea".

Smiling a mischievous smile at her prim and proper sister, Lea always wondered why Rae was always so shy with guys when half the time all she had to do was walk in a room and she had their attention already, yet seldom realized it. Innocence was always the one trick of the trade Lea had never been able to produce yet Rae had it down because it was an actual part of her. This, Lea had always been a little envious because most men weren't as careful with Alea as they would be with someone like Rae due to them misreading her confidence as experience and her tough act like disinterest in sappy things like love. Truth be told Alea was in love with love. Ever since she had seen her first love story on film, read her first fairytale Alea had wanted nothing more. Rae had felt the same shade of green herself about her sisters natural ability to flirt and be in the presence of males as easy as in the presence of her sister. This had always be a coveted ability to Rae who hardly ever was able to talk to a male she was attracted too without blushing red and blurting out one word before wanting to run. As all sisters will know but never cop too, there are traits, things, even relationships that sisters' envy about each other but in the bigger picture these are necessary to complete the unified balance that each sister brings to the other.

Due to the recent thoughts pre occupying the girls' minds, the car ride proved to be a silent one with the exception of the radio, which happened to be blasting music both girls liked but neither felt the desire to sing. Pulling up to the deserted building that once resembled a clean cut locksmith business, the building before them was half worn out by foundational cracks and damage. The vacant building was bordered up on the one good side that resembled anything of the building Rae remembered. Getting out the car while staring in disbelief at the mess left in the wake of the sturdy building that was less then three days ago there, Rae slowly walked forward trying to remember if this was in fact the same place. Just as she was visually going through her initial visit to the locksmith in pursuit of putting the pieces together to make sense, Lea called from the car breaking her concentration,

"We are clearly in the wrong place Rae, get back in the car and we will just re-track our steps and try again."

"This is the right place Lea I remember everything down to the kind of wallpaper the guy had in there while I was filling out papers for the keys."

"Well jeezz Rae! Why didn't you tell me this was a dump, I could have told you not to be surprised when this guy skipped town I mean it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you a broken down building isn't good at doing business, if they WERE a good respectable business the building wouldn't be falling apart. Remember that common sense talk we have occasionally?"

"O sush Lea! This building didn't look this way when I was here. It was a sound structure no cracks no boards nothing. Even inside was somewhat nice with couches and such. The guy was even in a suit."

"Wait wait, a locksmith wearing a suit …..whats wrong with this picture Rae? You probably gave our lock molds to a con man or the mafia, since when have you ever seen a locksmith have a fancy smancy building and wearing suits?!"

"It seemed legit Lea! He had me fill out paperwork, he was diligent in making sure we actually owned the house before he took the job he was even skeptical for a while we bought the house before I showed him the deed. I guess that house really was sitting on the market for awhile. Besides the house came with NO keys we had to get SOMEONE to create keys for it the only reason we were even able to get in is because you broke us in, which by the way I meant to ask how did you acquire that skill?"

Ignoring Rae's remark completely and hoping that conversation would never happen Lea cut her off "So then how do you explain this?! If he was such a good businessman and so trustworthy whats this? (Pointing to the desolated building before them in ruins) He just decided to move and before switching buildings thought he should wreck this one?"

"I don't know Lea! But smart ass comments aren't helping any right now."

Hearing a slight coughing behind them, both girls whirled around to the sight of a meak older gentlemen slumped over with a slight hunch on a cane waiting to speak. Giving them the best gap toothed smile this man could muster in hopes of looking friendly in his over sized clothing and muddy cap, "Are you ladies looking for a Mr. Hopkin? The fella who owned the locksmith business?"

Taking the initiative as it was unknown if this man was friend or threat Lea straightened and answered in a tone that was no nonsense and direct, "Yes we are, do you have any information regarding him that might be of help to us?" Rae thought to herself the poor older man looked nervous now more than ever and knew Lea was being a tad too rough with him but as usual Lea was always too defensive with anyone in the category of unknown.

Despite the mans fidgeting he looked at Lea straight in the eye and answered "I have a message for you if you are in fact the Nymeria sisters, if you aint I cant help you."

Realizing this man meant no harm in his second attempt of a friendly smile Lea changed tones, much like a knight lowering his sword when realizing all signs of danger have disappeared, and tried speaking in a friendlier way, "Yes we are the Nymeria sisters."

"Oh well that's just the ducks luck for you aint it? hobbling closer on his wooden cane, I just got here hoping I hadn't missed you because Franky said you might be here earlier since you missed him a few days ago. Franky, Mr. Hopkin I mean, said for me to tell the Nymeria sisters that their keys would be specially delivered to them, however since he is not here to collect a form of payment from you he has requested that you help me with something of mine in exchange. Can you do that?"

Sensing the sudden change in her sisters' stance Rae knew Lea's temper was bubbling so promptly took the opportunity to speak, "What is it you need help with sir?"

"Well little lady I have a cat that is very dear to me. Her name is Velvet and recently she has birthed a litter of kittens. All but one I have found a home for and I have been trying desperately to find a home for the last kitten. A home that I think is suitable, safe and loving, I couldn't bear to part with her otherwise. See, Velvets kitten deserves a fresh new family, I am getting on in my years and don't play with her as often as I should so I have been asking certain people to try to help. But the catch is I need Velvet's kitten to approve of him or her as well, and every person up until now has failed in getting her approval. So being as you ladies cannot control if you gain the kittens approval, my bargain is this, I will bring the kitten out and all you have to do is call her and if she comes to you, I will be the happiest man alive and my conscience will be unburdened. If she doesn't I will simply keep her with me but either way just for trying I will have your keys sent on to your house. Does that seem like something you can do?"

Nodding her head Rae answered slowly "Yes it is something we can do but if you don't mind me asking why are you ok with separating the kitten from the mother if the cat means so much to you?"

Casting his eyes down on the pavement, the mans tone dropped, "Velvet died in birthing this kitten and though I love this kitten with all my heart I am too old to raise a kitten that is mother -less and to be honest she looks so much like Velvet my heart breaks every time I look at her."

Feeling a new surge of sympathy for this man Lea walked over to him and in a gesture she rarely did she gently touched his hand and in her most gentle voice said " Of course we can try to call her, we would love a kitten for our new home." Looking into the mans eyes Lea saw happiness surge through him just before he turned around and hobbled back across the street to get the kitten that meant so much. Turning to Rae she saw mirrored the same excitement in the prospect of going home with a kitten to raise and love.

Both girls strained to look across the street at the old man emerging from his door holding a small black and white furry bundle close to his heart. As he crossed the street, the girls could clearly see the tiny kitten held in his palm and they instantly fell in love. Instinctively Lea walked towards him with arms out stretched to hold the kitten. Putting his other hand out to stop Lea from coming any closer he stooped as forward as his worn out joints would allow and placed the kitten on the ground about three feet away from the girls. Straightening himself, he looked at them,

"Now there are certain rules, only one person can try to call her, and only try to call once. The one call must include her name for her to come to you. You can decide amongst yourselves and give it your best shot whenever you're ready. Good Luck." Giving his nod of approval to the girls while trying his damndest not to laugh at their bewildered and confused faces, he thought to himself they will understand in time.

Lea turned around and grabbing Rae's arm whispered to her sister, " So it's not just me he IS crazy right?"

"Most definitely, but you have to admit its kind of cute how he cares so much for the kitten."

"Who do you think should call her? Wait whats her name?"

"I don't think she has one he keeps calling her kitten, and I think you should you've always had a thing for cats Lea."

"So you think the whole approval thing is if the kitten likes her name she will come? That's kind of a long shot don't you think? She doesn't know us."

Smiling at Lea with a teasing tone "Then I suggest you come up with a damn good name."

"Gee thanks for your support and creative contribution, for all you know I could name our potential kitten Kermit the frog and she may come then what? We are stuck with a kitten we disabled ourselves with a name, she will be the laughing stock of the cat community in our neighborhood do you want to be responsible for that?"

Upon hearing this Rae burst out laughing, "You speak your own language half the time Lea one creative name shouldn't be difficult for you, go for it." Pushing her sister forward and turning to the old man, "Lea is going to try calling the kitten." Giving her sister one last pat on the back as sign of encouragement Rae stepped back and watched with amusement as her sisters wheels turned for a name.

Ok Lea think, the kitten is black and white, cute rounded face, big honey colored eyes. All in all a beautiful cat so no ordinary name would work for it so that narrows it down…sort of. Thousands of names ran through Leas mind, shadow, sheera, cleo for Cleopatra but no names sounded right, like they justified her. Which was crazy because this kitten was just a kitten and though she was utterly cute and adorable, Lea had not even petted her yet so how Lea knew what names would not suit her personality she had no clue, but she knew. Then looking into the kittens' honeyed eyes it was as if her mind was completely cleared and one name stood alone and it just seemed natural to say it "Ardesca". Lea no more than whispered the name as if it was a gentle breeze and even the smallest amount of pressure in her voice might break it. Suddenly realizing the eyes she was once staring into so hypnotized were gone, Lea raised her eyes in panic trying to find the kitten and then feeling a warm brush on her ankles she looked down and discovered the kitten was not only by her feet but had curled up on the front of her shoes. Dazed at how fast the kitten seemed to move Lea bent down to pick up the kitten and as if the kitten read Leas actions stretched while standing up and walked into Leas arms unphased by the fact she was leaving the only family she had known up until now. The old man smiled a crooked smile and softly said,

"I must say that's the prettiest name I have heard yet, its no wonder she picked that one. I will have your keys sent to your house this evening, it was a pleasure meeting you ladies, please make sure Ardesca stays safe and loved. She is more special then you realize." Smiling with a twinkle in his eyes the old man turned and hobbled back into the house across the street leaving the girls standing in the parking lot not quite sure of what had just happened.

Staring in disbelief at the space now empty that once had been occupied by the old man Lea whispered,

"Rae we have a kitten."

"Yes Lea I am aware and such a cute one too." Lightly stroking the top of her head Ardesca starting to purr and lick Rae's hand.

"Rae we have a kitten."

"Lea, are you ok? You seem like you're out of it a bit." Rae put her hand on her shoulder as if to reassure her that whatever had freaked her out was ok.

"Rae you don't understand, it was the strangest thing, I have never even heard of that name before, not even a word like that before and it just came to me. It was almost like the name was placed in my head so I said it."

"Lea don't go crazy on me now you lasted so long in your weirdness to crack now would be too ironic." Walking to the car and getting into the drivers seat Rae dismissed her sisters weird feeling and decided to appreciate the few minutes Lea seemed speechless because those moments rarely lasted long.

Eventually realizing Rae had gotten back into the car Lea repeated her sisters' actions, getting into the front seat and placing Ardesca on her lap hoping the car ride wouldn't scare her. To Leas' amusement the kitten curled up into a ball, yawned, and went straight to sleep not giving a care to anything.

Upon returning home in what seemed to be too short a ride for Lea to watch Ardesca sleep the girls entered the house with a new -found happiness due to the newest member of their family.

Lea, after putting Ardesca down in the foyer so she could explore her new home turned to Rae while slipping off her shoes, "We have to get kitten things first things tomorrow, like a nice bed and toys and cat food and kitty stuff."

"Yes that's articulate, we will walk into the nearest pet store and say we need kitty stuff." Knowing Rae was merely teasing her Lea merely giggled and went to the kitchen to see if there was enough milk for Ardesca to have before bedtime.

Passing the dining room to enter the kitchen Lea stopped when she saw her laptop on the dining room table and all of a sudden felt the urge to see where she had heard the name to prove to herself that there was a logical explanation for what happened. Ironically enough, through Lea's whole life she had craved something amazing to happen to her, something unexplainable and wondrous, yet here something finally had and yet she felt the desperate need to rationalize it.

Turning on her laptop and using Google to search the name one definition was all that came up. The Latin word or variation for "glitter flame" or "Blazing Flame." This made no sense to Lea she had never taken Latin, not even in studying art history because languages had always been her demise so she avoided them. How had she created this name without knowing its origin? And how can a flame suit a black and white kitten that had no red what so ever in its coat. Closing the laptop and deciding it best she thought about it tomorrow with a clear head, Lea finished making her way to the kitchen where Ardesca was patiently waiting before the fridge, licking her chops as if she knew she was anticipating fresh cold milk.

Putting her hands on her hips while saucily addressing the new baby of the family, "Two seconds here and already your miss bossy, you remind me of someone I know ….me" smiling while opening the fridge and getting a bowl to pour the milk in, Lea laid the bowl down for Ardesca to drink and decided that such a mouthful of a name would be too much to constantly say so after thoughtful consideration she tested a nickname with hopes the kitten would react in the same way and recognize not a name change merely a shorter version of it. Testing her new name she gently called "Desa?" surely enough the kitten stopped drinking and looked up. Lea could have sworn she heard a faint "What?" as if the kitten were responding in an irritated tone due to being interrupted at dinner. Shaking off the feeling that yet again there was something happening to her she could not see or comprehend, Lea left Desa to her dinner in peace and quiet. Just as she was leaving the kitchen Lea heard the doorbell and the unmistakable noise that was Roxy and Jazzy barreling through the front door. Grace was not a word associated with Rox and Jazz or even in their vocabulary for that matter, so the barreling in was to be expected along with the shouting back and forth of insults. Lea knew the road trip to get here was what caused it, too much time together was never a good thing for Rox and Jazz. Despite this reasoning and knowing whatever argument they were having was sure to be inconsequential, Lea knew she had to put her two cents in and join. After all, she deserved some fun and familiarity after her eerie day. Smiling with the anticipation of jumping on Rox and commencing her first attack, Lea started towards the foyer getting her boxing gloves in gear, well, figurative speaking of course.

Chapter Four

Unloading the trunk of their blue 67' Chevy Impala, Jazz Nymeria was beyond irritated with her sister Roxy. If she had to listen to one more heavy base, electric guitar noise for even one more second tonight, she was going to do something she never did, lose her temper. Why had Roxy insisted on driving anyway? I am a better, safer and more capable driver and would have actually selected music to accompany us on the road trip, not destructive noise! Even now that they reached their new home, thank you Jesus, Rox wasn't even getting out of the car to help unload the trunk! No, not Roxy! Roxy was still screaming with whatever waste of perfectly good instruments this noise called a song was, and had yet to even turn off the engine! Even from the back of the car Jazz could see Roxs' curly head bobbing away like she was in a apple bobbing contest and her life depended on winning. Muttering a string of insults involving her sisters' lack of taste, Jazzy violently put her dark curls into a tamed bun. While turning her head to tie it off she realized she had yet to even notice the Manor. Looking up the awaiting steps to what was soon to be her new home, Jazzy felt a shiver go down her spine as if somehow everything in her life would never be the same. Nothing terrified Jazz more than change. Dismissing this feeling as only Jazz could do, to lack of sleep and too much time with her sister she refocused her attention on the actual house. Not paying attention to what bags she was grabbing due to gawking at the size of the place, Jazzy accidently cut her hand on a jutting corner on of course, Roxy's suitcase. "Shit! That 's great, just friggin wonderful!" Shaking her hand to help stifle the stinging pain, Jazzy searched her purse for something to put on the cut. Carefully trying to not get blood on her new lace blouse or matching bow-tied flats she used what was left of a napkin as a current bandage while rummaging through her purse for a proper band-aid. After thirty-seconds she realized she was too far from the street light to see anything in her purse worth using, "Light usually helps Jazz" scolding herself in a habit that most found weird, apparently talking to ones self is unusual she preferred it as interesting conversation with a interesting person, she walked closer to the Manor and sat on a step proceeding to start her search again.

Roxy, finally deciding to turn off her cd she had had blasting the whole road trip, got out of her car and had expected to see Jazz hauling some suitcases from the trunk. Though Jazz was the lace and ribbon kind of girl she wasn't hesitant to get her hands dirty and had even worked construction a few summers. Due to this, Roxy was surprised to not see Jazz moving suitcases and turning with a joke on her lips ready to tease her sister for being worried about breaking a nail walked closer to investigate where her sister had gone, ready to drag her butt back outside to help unload if need be. She caught sight of Jazz sitting on the stairs going through her purple leather purse.

"Hey! Princess! We kind of have to unpack the luggage before we can sit and relax"

Turning her smoldering eyes up at her soon to be dead sister, "For YOUR information I went to lift the bags out and YOUR piece of trash suitcase cut me because for God knows what reason you REFUSE to buy decent luggage! But then again if I owned junk I would pack it in junk too! Only seems fitting!"

Taken aback by her sisters' loss of temper, which rarely had ever happened, Jazz was more a hugger then a fighter but was capable of being both when need be. Roxy could count on one hand how many times exactly she had lost her temper. She knew something was wrong. Softening her tone and walking over to investigate, "Ok well are you guna live? Or can I take your room and make myself a master suite? I always knew I was destined to be an only child, too much star studded glory in me to share any spotlight" pointing to herself as if to add dramatic attitude while tipping her black woven cap to one side and winking. The image was too much for Jazz and as a result she broke out laughing "YOU ARE certifiable Rox". This was always their way of claiming that the other was officially insane. Though sweet, the truce only lasted long enough to unload the car. Heading up the stairs carrying as much luggage as they could each manage, they crowded the door bickering as to who would get to go in first since they could not fit together at once with all the bags.

Pushing Jazz out of the way, Roxy tossed her wheat gold curly locks behind her shoulder and stormed through the front door as if surging triumphantly from battle. "WE ARE HOME MY BITCHACHAS! Don't all come rushing to hug me at once and no I don't give free autographs." Dropping the bags to squeeze Rae in a death grip. Jazz pushed through the front door. "Rox! Please tell me you locked the car, the LAST thing I need to add to my already dandy day is getting the car stolen because yet again your thoughtless self forgot to lock it!"

"THAT was not my fault Jazz! YOU told me to hurry up because someone was breaking into your apartment, if you wanted me to LOCK the car before coming to your rescue, you should have said, oh by the way take the time to lock the car! As it was, be thankful I took the time to grab my bat and save your sorry ass!" Finally releasing Rae to turn and better face her opponent, Rox placed a hand on her hip (her no nonsense pose) and continued "How was I suppose to know the guy would jump out the window run across the street and hijack the car instead? I cant save everything!"

"One he was running out because I scared him off just as you came, two I didn't call you to save my ass I called you for back up I am more then capable of taking care of my ass on my own and three It's called common sense Rox! And you have yet to answer the question have you locked the brand new car?"

"Yes mama I locked it" Glaring at Jazz knowing full well her insult would hit home Jazz retaliated, "If anyone is gunna call one of us mama don't you think it makes logical sense that the one who LOOKS like a mother should be the one…..MAMA?" Kicking across one of Roxy's suitcases that Jazz had brought in as if to demonstrate her point.

Rae attempting and failing at capping down the fight before it broke out went to stand between them with arms outstretched and bracing her self while muttering in her most exasperated tone "oh dear".

Rox stepped forward, "Bring it small fry!" making the gesture boxers usually make at their opponents as if to silently signal them to come and bring it. Rae knew any attempt at a calm talk to avoid the argument was past and in a last desperate attempt shouted "Lea! Get in here before we lose a cousin!"

As if on cue Lea strolled into the foyer and had a smile so big plastered on her brightly lit face, Rae knew Lea had already decided to join, not help. As if Lea could read Rae's lecturing mind she shot her a innocent plead to have some fun first and then launched herself on Roxy and ended up hanging off her back while screaming "ATTACK!"

In a flaying chaos the girls all ended up jumbled in a dog pile. Rae was unaware how she ended up in this fight. Somehow, Lea jumping on Roxy had made Roxy fall forward onto Rae and then like dominoes poor Jazzy was at the bottom somewhere fighting back to the top. Of course Lea and Roxy were laughing so hard they barely registered the silent unimpressed look from Jazzy, while poor Rae was worried that Jazz would storm off and spoil their lightened moods.

(This marked their whole childhood, while Rox and Lea were labeled troublemakers and quick to chirp in and keep things interesting, Jazzy and Rae were considered peace makers, but could still kick ass if need be (especially Jazz). Consequently, nine times out of ten Rae would be trying to lecture while they paid her no mind and continued whatever they were doing that they most likely shouldn't have been in the first place when Jazz was absent. One who did not know them would assume as many previously had, that Jazzy and Rae were siblings while Rox and Lea were the other pair. Mostly the reason for this was not the similar personalities, though that would make a logical pairing, it was the mothers of both girls that mainly gave this impression. The mothers of these girls were sisters and in correlation with the difference between their daughters, these sisters were just as different from each other. Unlike Jazz, Alea, Rox and Rae, their mothers bond as sisters was a hell of a lot more complicated and though I am sure looking back that they did love each other, once the story is told you may feel differently, but that's neither here or there at the moment. Before I return you to the present in which the girls are about to commence living together there is something that must be understood or the heart of this story will be lost. The bond of these sisters is what allows their experiences to take place and why there is even a story to tell. Yes there is adventure, intrigue, plot -twists, gripping battles but first and foremost understand this incredible journey that is about to descend upon these sisters is done so because of their love for one another. Without this key, they would never have been chosen and never would have survived it.)

49


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